Photo Jounalist in Myanmar Media

Some people define a photojournalist as a reporter whose job it is to show – rather than tell – people what has happened. Others say a photojournalist is a journalist who uses the camera as their primary tool in interpreting world events. Whatever your definition, people recognise the importance of the work photojournalists perform.


In Myanmar, too, people are gradually accepting that the role of the photojournalist is important as the media and photography industries continue their steady development. But in Myanmar there i s still plenty of room for more photojournalists to be plying their trade in the media.

Even in this media age, there aren’t many photojournalists working for local magazines, journals and newspapers – especially when compared to foreign news agencies, says U Aung Tun Win, secretary of the Myanmar Photographic Society.

“This is not a highly-paid job like commercial photography. One of the reasons is that there is no particular course for photojournalism. The photographs in the local papers that are taken by reporters, not photographers, are visible evidence that we lack sufficient numbers of photojournalists. Taking a news photo isn’t a question of just pushing a button,” says U Aung Tun Win, 53, who is also one of four photographers at The Myanmar Times.

What makes a news photo great, and what makes it merely adequate? Why can’t everyone take them? “There is a saying: ‘A picture is worth a thousand words.’ So, a photo can give many messages to the readers and it includes many signs. It is also helpful for those who can’t read the news because they can understand the situation through photos,” U Aung Tun Win says.

“Some people who don’t have much time to read the whole paper; they look first at the photos and read the news later. If the photo’s not interesting, they may skip the story completely. This is why news photography is important in media. I don’t mean photos are essential, but they are supportive. Photos also reflect the publication's focus and audience.”

So what makes news photos different from other pictures? U Aung Tun Win says top of the list of news photos’ must-have characteristics is they must look natural. This means they can’t have had any special effects, he says.

“In some journals, you can see a combination of two or more photos with graphic designs. You can’t call these news photos. It’s just a creation,” he says. The global standard is to now call these combination or doctored images “photo illustrations” so the reader knows they have been altered.

But photojournalism is sometimes more than just news photography – there’s more of a focus on the photo telling the story rather than corroborating it and presenting it so the audience can understand the meaning.

“Presenting an idea is the key to photojournalism. Without ideas there are no stories so photojournalists always have to research ideas. You can research ideas from your personal life experience or base them on events.”

To develop their ideas, U Aung Tun Win says photojournalists must have a wide knowledge of human nature and a keen sense of the visual world. “A great photojournalist must be eagle-eyed,” he says.

Before taking pictures, he says, the photographer must conceive what his subject is, how he expresses it and where he will take the photos.

“Sometimes you’re confronted with an immediate situation, such as a fire or a car crash, and you have to shoot at once and take snapshots. When this happens, there is no time for you to think and you must make a quick decision to capture the scene with good angles at the right time.”

He also says photo-journalists have less scope than reporters to present a story. “Reporters can cover many angles to make the story more interesting, but we can present the news only through a photograph. So that photo has to include all the ingredients to tell the story.”

Ko Khin Maung Latt, a photographer with Image Magazine, still finds the challenge fascinating despite his eight years of experience in media photography.

“You face fresh challenges all the time, and it’s the challenges that make the work more interesting. Story ideas are everywhere. I can explore new and exciting things, from different places to different subjects,” says Ko Khin Maung Latt, who is in his late 30s.

For these challenges, his method is simple: preparation. “You must know what kind of event it is. Then you must prepare the lighting, the positioning and the angles for taking the pictures.”

Lighting is important in photography. But in some situations, the photographer has to go with natural light.

“In news photography, the subject matter is all-important. While you are taking photos, every moment is important and you must catch every bit of the action. If you leave out important scenes, you are not a photographer,” he says.

While these scenes are often of the mundane, of everyday events – a sporting event, a car accident, a model – sometimes, just sometimes, they are historic moments.

These iconic photographs – US civil war dead on the battlefield, a naked girl covered in napalm, The Beatles crossing Abbey Road – are often used to tell the story of human history and culture, more succinctly and eloquently than eyewitnesses can express in words.

About Me

Ah Htun ( nick name) , Lahtaw Zau Hpan was born in a small village called Law Hkum Dum Gan where he grew up until he was about ten years old and he started at a frail and makeshift school which under controlled KIA ( kachin Independent Army).His fahter died before his birth and his mom re-married to anohter man when he was about four years old. His mother left him in the birth place. He has never seen her mother again. Wa La Kawng is the village his mother moved where most people suffering starvation. He had to challenge his childhood terriblly in the very poor and small village, no electric power, n o communication center, no market and even no salt for daily food. This poor boy had to study near a fireplace. The Kachin people's traditional houses were made with bamboo and wood. The house normally has many fireplaces inside the house. The boy , this young boy was interested in studying english and he used to dream of if he had chance to study in abroad he would be a good leader for community. And in the class he was quite brillient and use to be student leader of class or team.
when his homeland and school was destroyed by Burmese Army, he moved to Mogaung where his relatives lived. He continued education with his aunt's support in Mogaung. He passed ten standard in Mogaung, kachin state in 1998. He had chance to work in His Uncle's Jade company for two year while he was waiting for the university opened. Later, in 2001 he ventured to Pan Kachin College to further his education and he was also student representative while he was there. After graduated, he worked at HIV prevention Project for one year
By the blessing of God, in 2004, he came to Thailand to improve his English. He was blessed to explore general knoledge during studying at Intensive College Foundation Course(ICFC). He was awarded scholarship from PB to study in Thailand. And he has been studying at Bangkok University International College(BUIC). He is majoring in Communication Arts.
In August, 2008 he came to United States as an exchange student from BUIC. Currently, he has been studying at MTSU . MTSU is located in the Murfreesboro, 28 miles from Nashville,Tennessee, well known as the country music city. He is the first MTSU student from Burma and Kachin Pioneer as well.

Book Review

Lords of Burma's Nothern Frontier by Bertil Lintner


N dai laika buk kaw anhte chye ging ai JHP Wunpawng sha ni hte seng ai labau ni lawm ai. Dai majaw manaw manang ni myitlawm ai ni n dai laika buk hpe online hku rai rai, book store kaw rai rai mai tam la ai lam kabu hpa shiga garan dat nngai.

N dai laika buk hte madung lawm ai ni gaw : Who are the Kachins?, Kachin social structure, The Kachin and missionaries, Gaw Rahkas of Southern Asia, The Kachin and Independence, The Kachin and military Rule, Jade Country, The Kachin in China and India hte Future nga ai ni re.

1: Jinhpaw ngu ai galoi ten, gara kaw na pru wa ai lam ni hte anhte a jiwa ni gara hku sak hkrung lai wa ai lam, Sam Zaw Ba ni hte kasat nna majoi shingra, hugawng kaw na pa ga de pra hkrat wa ai lam ni lawm ai.

2. Wunpawng amyu bawsang ni gara kaw na byin wa n na gara hku shada kanawn mazum ai lam hte seng na mung hkum hkum zup zup lawm ai.

3. JHP amyu ni a matu British colony ten hta western missionaries ni gara hku jam jau let anhte hpe n htoi de woi la ai lam hte dai ni du hkra grin nga ai JHP laika byin wa ai lam ni mung lawm ai.

4. Hpakant lungseng maw hte seng ai galoi, kadai ni shawng mu nna, gara hku galaw sha lai wa ai lam ni hte

5. KIO hte seng ai labau ni lawm ai.

Dai hta kaba shining law law na sai ten na sumla ni hpe mung mu lu na ra ai
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Introduction to my Blogs

Helo! Friends, Thanks for visiting to my blog. I appreciated a few of you who gave me suggestion for my previous blog which I changed the tamplate for inconvinient to upload photo. Sorry! I have lost some of my old stuff from previous one. From now on, I would more focus to share you such educational, political, photography and video documentary things. I am very keen on photographer and video felm maker, so I would be more dedicated on it.
I have created this blog to share knowledge to my friends through online. Let's be together and be pioneer for the future. I will be one of Kachin Pioneer in journalist, photographer, documentary film maker hehhe.

With the mercy of God, pls forgive me, if there is anything wrong.


Kachin Pioneer